December 9, 2011 at 7:28 am
I've always had a contract, and they usually have about a medium level of vagueness. While I don't like being restricted, there's always the "other duties as required" clause that allows for some freedom. I also set annual goals and objectives, but between me and my boss, we try to make these SMART, so although they can be a bit of a stretch, they're also achievable.
December 9, 2011 at 7:32 am
I'd vote no contract of work. I am where I am today because my jobs never stick to a list of duties - I get to see technologies outside of my job, meet people outside my department, I get to learn soft skills that my job doesn't demand. One of the most valuable career skills has been making myself available when the demand comes for someone to do something different, and holding to a job list cuts off that option.
Without it, I wouldn't have ever touched SQL back in 1996, I'd still be an RPG developer in my little niche on AS400, I probably wouldn't be a DBA today and loving what I do.
December 9, 2011 at 7:40 am
IceDread (12/9/2011)
Well.. I would probably had said no a year ago.This year however, my boss told me he was thinking about having me take over some share point tasks as well since the consultant doing it is leaving. That I am not so keen on doing. It's a product that might be replaced in 3-10 years and it's not a smooth product to work with at all..
I wouldn't be afraid of Sharepoint. I can't see that thing ever being replaced. It seems to spread without limits in most organizations.
December 9, 2011 at 7:42 am
Evil Kraig F (12/9/2011)
We might have a slightly different perspective on this since I once was a janitor. You want to pay me my contract rates to grab a mop and take out the trash? Ummmmm.... sold.I call myself a million dollar janitor on occassion when I get inquiries as to do I mind doing mundane work instead of the 'interesting stuff'. I'm down with the within my area of expertise, I'm certainly not feeling qualified to go do some OOP integration to EF and getting rated on it.
You want me to haul around Accounting's computers and get all the wiring re-hooked up in their new office while you pay me my current rate? 'eh, sure. Mind if I use a mail cart?
I'm in agreement. There have been times I've been asked to restock copy paper, move machines around the data center, even build network cables from scratch. At DBA rates, I'm happy to do it.
December 9, 2011 at 7:43 am
Steve Jones - SSC Editor (12/9/2011)
IceDread (12/9/2011)
Well.. I would probably had said no a year ago.This year however, my boss told me he was thinking about having me take over some share point tasks as well since the consultant doing it is leaving. That I am not so keen on doing. It's a product that might be replaced in 3-10 years and it's not a smooth product to work with at all..
I wouldn't be afraid of Sharepoint. I can't see that thing ever being replaced. It seems to spread without limits in most organizations.
Hmm maybe I should reevaluate my position there and perhaps give it a try. I do like variation in tasks.. but I can not say I've heard that many great things about Sharepoint.
December 9, 2011 at 7:51 am
Steve Jones - SSC Editor (12/9/2011)
IceDread (12/9/2011)
Well.. I would probably had said no a year ago.This year however, my boss told me he was thinking about having me take over some share point tasks as well since the consultant doing it is leaving. That I am not so keen on doing. It's a product that might be replaced in 3-10 years and it's not a smooth product to work with at all..
I wouldn't be afraid of Sharepoint. I can't see that thing ever being replaced. It seems to spread without limits in most organizations.
Agreed. Learn to tame Sharepoint and you'll always have a job (no, it's not a nice product, but that doesn't stop everyone and their cat having a sharepoint site)
Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability
December 9, 2011 at 9:08 am
GilaMonster (12/9/2011)
I've worked with someone in the past who insisted on everything in her job responsibilities be written down and spelled out exactly with no 'and other duties' listed. She used that for all sorts of fun work-avoidance tricks
GAH! I have great disdain for the whole "It's not my job" mentality. I've yet to encounter one of those individuals that I considered a decent person, much less a decent employee or team member. Their attitude is one of entitlement and/or over-inflated self-worth. But in some cases, it's been fostered by management whose short-sightedness breed contempt instead of cooperation and no one wins.
I can't help but think of a stereotypical labor union / management relationship, but I don't know if that's justified or just my own experience-based predilection.
All fired up now.... 🙂
Rich
December 9, 2011 at 10:24 am
This editorial made me re-read my six-page contract. The only duty spelled out is to "provide technical leadership."
I like it. 😉
December 9, 2011 at 10:26 am
richj-826679 (12/9/2011)
GilaMonster (12/9/2011)
I've worked with someone in the past who insisted on everything in her job responsibilities be written down and spelled out exactly with no 'and other duties' listed. She used that for all sorts of fun work-avoidance tricksGAH! I have great disdain for the whole "It's not my job" mentality. I've yet to encounter one of those individuals that I considered a decent person, much less a decent employee or team member. Their attitude is one of entitlement and/or over-inflated self-worth. But in some cases, it's been fostered by management whose short-sightedness breed contempt instead of cooperation and no one wins.
I can't help but think of a stereotypical labor union / management relationship, but I don't know if that's justified or just my own experience-based predilection.
I learned long ago (decades) that the phrase "its not my job" could equal "I aint got a job anymore", never happened to me but I saw it several times. Your job is more or less what your employer says your job is.. There are only a few cases where I would REALLY push back. Like I was hired for office work and you want me to go out and run a punch press (with no previous experience), not to mention the punch press guy gets paid a lot more than you do.. Or you want me to regularly perform a dangerous job and we never discussed that before.
There are many things that are not really my job but I do them anyway. Perfect example, we have a very good desktop guy, and sometimes he gets REALLY busy or he is away from his desk and people looking for him will fall back to me and ask for help. It isn't my job to help them, BUT if I am at a stopping point and aren't hip deep in something I am going to TRY and help them. But a phrase that will not cross my lips is "its not my job"..
CEWII
December 9, 2011 at 10:58 am
richj-826679 (12/9/2011)
GilaMonster (12/9/2011)
I've worked with someone in the past who insisted on everything in her job responsibilities be written down and spelled out exactly with no 'and other duties' listed. She used that for all sorts of fun work-avoidance tricksGAH! I have great disdain for the whole "It's not my job" mentality. . . . .
Rich
Agree with you both there - often that's where a bit of "fun" comes into the job - going into areas that you wouldn't normally work. I've often learnt some useful bits of information like that and they've help me out at a later date.
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December 9, 2011 at 11:04 am
I'll do anything short of moving heavy furniture,boxes, or machines around. I have a bad back and I stated that when I started. That is what Facilities Management is for anyway. I have drawn the line on cleaning up the bathroom in the past though. That is what cleaning people are for. If the company is so cheap they can't afford a cleaning person, the responsibility of cleaning up someone elses urine should not fall to a DBA IMHO. Took that one to HR and actually won that case and the person(s) requesting me to do it was reprimanded. 😀
"Technology is a weird thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ...:-D"
December 9, 2011 at 11:05 am
... I am not sure how to handle this issue (and if anyone has any ideas I would like to hear about them) ...
Mike: Here's what I would do. Put something along the following lines in your 6 month plan: "Work on ad-hoc organizational priority tasks as needed by our organization. These would be tasks similar to what I did last bla bla bla for bla bla in bla." Or whatever wording makes sense. In other words, schedule these unscheduled tasks. You might reserve 2-3 month's worth of time in your 6 month plan for these "ad-hoc priority tasks." Then fill the remaining time in your 6 month plan with planned tasks.
Then it will be up to you, in coordination with your boss, to make sure that only 2-3 months worth of ad-hoc tasks make priority and that you still have time for the named scheduled tasks. Don't promise to do an ad-hoc task if you don't have time for it. If other people insist that an ad-hoc task has priority over your plan and you have used up your time for ad-hoc tasks, then tell your boss that you can't do both. Let your boss (head of agency, etc.) decide which she/he wants you to do. You haven't made any promises yet beyond what is in the plan. So, make it your bosses "bad" if the plan can't be met because she/he directed you to do something else.
December 9, 2011 at 11:14 am
On job descriptions: I totally agree that a completely locked down job description would be no fun and not all that practical for the business. However, most people seem to be thinking about "lower" job tasks as a concern. In other words, "I am always happy to jump in and do the filing when we are in a crunch - as long as I get the same pay."
But what about "higher" tasks? My point is that it is nice if a job description/contract could contain wording that indicates a general level of expertise that you are being paid for. So, if you start doing a lot of work that goes way above what the position originally intended, you can make an argument that you should start getting paid more/moved to a higher classification. If the job description is: "Do everything we say for the next 20 years, no matter how your skills progress, but we will always call you a Tech 1 and pay you accordingly", how fair is that?
Yes, you can look for another job as your skills progress, but I feel that contracts should be fair to both parties. And it is not fair for an organization to take advantage of current employees. If a person originally hired as a janitor starts doing DBA work, the janitor should get DBA pay and not have a contract that says "and any job duty we need you to do".
December 9, 2011 at 1:27 pm
I'm not one who likes every little detail spelled out in ink, but there can be issues if there is too little outlined as well.
I have a middle of the road, semi-vague contract right now. That works well for me in my current position because of the project I am working, along with the chemistry that exists between the manager and technical leads. There is a great deal of respect and there have been no unreasonable expectations. The duties and work environment have been reasonably inline with that described during the hiring process. So in this case, I am quite happy! 😀
BUT... I have opted for positions where the contract was very vague and so I found myself forced into roles that I certainly did not sign up for. The only saving grace, and inline with the recent discussion on compensation, the $$ and vacation package I had negotiated made it bearable! 😎 😛
December 9, 2011 at 2:15 pm
JJ B (12/9/2011)
But what about "higher" tasks? My point is that it is nice if a job description/contract could contain wording that indicates a general level of expertise that you are being paid for. So, if you start doing a lot of work that goes way above what the position originally intended, you can make an argument that you should start getting paid more/moved to a higher classification. If the job description is: "Do everything we say for the next 20 years, no matter how your skills progress, but we will always call you a Tech 1 and pay you accordingly", how fair is that?
It's not, and I've fought and lost on that front.
An example: I was hired as an Access developer early in my career, and I was hungry so I took it at the low-mid end of what would be normal. I performed said tasks well and then they found out I had SQL Server experience. I devoted the next six months to a series of SQL Development that expanded my abilities and knowledge 20 fold under the tutelage of my mentor, who I still praise as one of the most patient men I've ever met, nevermind his knowledge.
When raises and discussions came around at year end, maximum cost of living raise was 3%. Not only did they expect me to continue on at a higher level position keeping their largest client profitably happy, they refused to change my position and only gave me a 2% raise. We went our separate ways.
The vaguer the concept, the more understanding both parties need to have about expected duties at which levels. As a contractor, I find occassionally I need to enforce these. I don't take on DBA II positions and then when they realize my skillsets perform architecture work without a re-negotiation. There's always work out there, you just need to be willing to go get it instead of suffering under your current management if they decide that vagueness = whatever the hell I want.
Never stop learning, even if it hurts. Ego bruises are practically mandatory as you learn unless you've never risked enough to make a mistake.
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